As the sun rose, a young girl with long golden hair was just getting out of bed. After changing out of her pajamas, she left her large, fancy room and headed toward the dining room within her massive house. The servants in the hallways smiled and greeted her as she passed, and she responded in kind.
She walked down the long corridor, descended the stairs, and entered the dining room. At the long table sat her family and other relatives, engaged in conversation. Her uncles were discussing village matters with her father, while her mother chatted with her aunts.
When her mother noticed Kavrala entering the room, she stood up, hugged her, and asked, "Good morning, my baby. Did you sleep well?" Kavrala, annoyed by her mother still treating her like a child, replied in a monotone voice, "Yes, Mother." Her family was used to her emotionless behaviors; in fact, they would even worry if they ever saw her too lively.
After quietly eating the breakfast the servants had prepared, she quickly left the house and set off for school. She always made sure to leave early, not because she loved school, but because she hated being at home.
She was a little bit jealous of Vulren, the only person in the entire village she truly respected. He was completely free, doing whatever work he pleased and going wherever he wanted. No one interfered with him, and no one expected anything from him.
Kavrala, on the other hand, spent her weeks waiting for the one day she could go to the forest. But this week, she had a big problem—not exactly her own, but still important. Vulren's restaurant had been closed since the beginning of the week, and she hadn't heard a word from him.
If she knew his home address, she could have gone to ask, but Vulren had only told her the area where he lived. He likely kept his exact address secret to prevent Kavrala from showing up at his house. They both knew that being seen together could lead to serious trouble.
Kavrala feared that Vulren might lose his freedom because of her, which would make him hate her. So, she could only talk to him at the restaurant, pretending she was just there for the food. But the restaurant had been closed for four days. What if something had happened to him?
Sometimes he acted as if he were immortal, getting himself into big trouble, but somehow he always managed to escape by the skin of his teeth, as if he had planned everything in advance. Her family always told her to use the horse carriage to get to school, but she preferred walking.
After a short walk, she arrived at school and entered through the massive gates. She had to greet dozens of people in the hallway before reaching her upstairs classroom. She listened to the chatter of people she didn't care about, pretending to be deeply interested until she finally sat down at her desk.
The subject was magic engineering, and she couldn't help but smile as she imagined Vulren, with his large frame, sitting at one of these small desks, attentively listening to the lecture and taking notes. If Vulren were here, he would probably bombard the teacher with questions and put him in a tough spot.
She imagined the old, bald professor she hated so much sweating under Vulren's absurd questions. There was only a week left before school ended, and she was eagerly looking forward to the days when she could visit the forest more often.
She would also have plenty of time to prepare for the summer festival happening in a month. She knew Vulren could easily win the capture the flag game at the festival. She wanted the whole village to see how awesome he actually was. But when she asked him to join the game, he gave her a very deep and intellectual response: “Nah.”
After a boring day at school, she quickly left, turning down everyone who invited her to hang out. She initially headed home but secretly turned down an alley at the last moment, changing her route. She always used this route to get to Vulren's restaurant without attracting any attention.
After walking silently for a while, she reached the restaurant, only to find it was still closed. She was starting to get seriously worried. Although there were few houses where Vulren lived, the area was too large. Finding him would take hours and draw too much attention.
Disheartened, she returned home, studied for a few hours, and then decided to take a walk to clear her head. As she walked through the village streets, still crowded even at this hour, she turned onto a quieter street where most of the houses were empty due to their distance from the village center.
While examining the small houses, she turned right at the next corner and saw a large man at the end of the street. His back was turned, so she couldn't see who he was, but next to him was a short, brown-haired girl around her age. They were looking at the empty houses and chatting.
Kavrala quickly hid behind a wall, trying to minimize her magical presence. She was sure it wasn't Vulren, but she was overcome by her curiosity. After observing them for a while, she began to feel ashamed. "What am I doing? They're probably a newlywed couple looking for a house, and here I am, spying on them," she scolded herself and decided to leave.
Just as she was about to go, the man turned around. She immediately recognized his black hair and the small scar on his cheek. It was Vulren Ravanan himself. For a moment, Kavrala couldn't believe her eyes, and a surge of anger welled up inside her. She rarely got angry, so even she was surprised by her reaction.
In her anger, she forgot to control her magic power. Meanwhile, Vulren, who was trying to find a place for Syl to stay, felt a very familiar magical presence at the end of the street. It was Kavrala. When he turned around, he saw the princess walking toward him, visibly furious.
She sometimes got a little annoyed when he teased her, but this was different. As he tried to figure out why she was so angry, Kavrala was already within a meter of him. "What are you doing here? Who is this girl? Do you have any idea how worried I was when your restaurant was closed for five days? And here you are, spending your days hanging out with girls!" Kavrala shouted.
Syl, still trying to understand what was happening, was interrupted by Vulren's calm voice, “Actually, it's not plural—" but Kavrala cut him off and continued yelling, "I can't believe you. You close the restaurant out of nowhere and don't even say a word to me. I thought you were different, but after all this time, you still treat me like a stranger!” Her eyes welled up with tears as she turned and walked away.
Vulren finally grasped the seriousness of the situation and, setting aside his usual sarcasm, started following Kavrala. Before leaving Syl, he said, "Let's stop here for today. We'll continue later," and began calling out to Kavrala. As he chased after her, he thought, “This is ridiculous. All I wanted was to grow stronger and travel the world, but here I am, dealing with this nonsense.”
When he finally caught up to her, he grabbed her arm and said, "At least let me explain." She turned around, wiped her eyes, and said in an angry tone, "Isn't it a bit late for that, you moron?" before pulling away and leaving. Frustrated, Vulren called after her, "I'll open the restaurant starting tomorrow. Come by when you want to listen to me!" At least the street was empty, so they didn't draw too much attention.
“I don’t understand girls at all. Like as if we were married, I got busted while cheating on her. Ridiculous!” he thought. He was planning to tell Kavrala why he hadn't opened the restaurant on Sunday in the forest. What else could he do? He couldn't just knock on the village chief's door and say, "Hello, I'm the most disliked and weakest person in the village, and I'd like to talk to your daughter about something."
If anyone found out they knew each other, they'd be in big trouble. But when you got down to it, Vulren had never even wanted to form close bonds with anyone. He was going to leave this village one day, and close relationships would only make that harder. Still, he felt bad about how he always treated Kavrala and decided to give her an honest explanation. Well, semi-honest, since he didn't plan to mention Griffin.
The word "stranger" kept echoing in his mind all night, but he had to get up early the next day, so he forced himself to sleep. He woke up tense, got ready, and left the house. He didn't want to visit his neighbor today, so he headed straight for the forest. He wanted to see Griffin and also try a new training method he found.
First, he went to the rhino meadow, climbed a tree, and whistled loudly, but there was no response from Griffin. When the rhinos started moving around, he had to leave. This training method was aimed at improving his reflexes. In a certain part of the forest lived a small species of monkey with long arms. These monkeys fed on hard-shelled fruits that grew on tall trees in their territory.
When they sensed a threat, they would throw these fruits from the treetops to defend their territories. While not deadly, the fruits were quite painful. Vulren thought he could improve his reaction time and eyesight by dodging these fruits. The monkeys lived about an hour's walk from the rhino meadow, but Vulren didn't have much time, so he decided to run there.
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Half an hour later, when he entered the area with the tall trees where the monkeys lived, he couldn't help but feel nervous. The first time he'd come here a few years ago, he hadn't known about the monkeys, and his body had been covered in bruises from their fruit attacks. As he ventured further, the monkeys' screeches grew louder, and soon he felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder, signaling that he'd reached his destination.
He immediately stopped walking and began observing his surroundings. A few seconds later, the monkeys started attacking again, but this time he managed to see the fruit flying toward him from above. At the last second, he ducked, successfully avoiding the fruit. "Is this going to be easier than I thought?" he wondered, just as another fruit came flying. This time, he saw the fruit but wasn't quick enough to dodge it. The fruit hit his back, leaving a painful bruise that would last about a week.
As Vulren grew more accustomed to the speed of the fruits, he began dodging most of them. When he ventured closer to the monkeys' nest, the number of fruits increased. He was so busy dodging that he had no time to think about anything else, constantly jumping around. After the effects of the energy potion wore off, he had slept for a full day, so he felt quite refreshed.
After an hour of being viciously beaten by fruits, Vulren, utterly exhausted, decided to retreat. After escaping the monkeys, he headed to the small stream where he usually bathed. When he took off his clothes, he saw that his entire body was covered in bruises. Looking at his reflection in the water, he noticed his nose was also bruised—a fruit had hit him right in the bullseye, likely breaking it.
After bathing, he dried off with the towel he'd brought and changed into the spare clothes in his bag. He applied a band-aid to his nose and then returned to Griffin. He whistled again, and this time a massive figure emerged from the tree and glided down to the meadow. Vulren jumped down and approached the Griffin, who seemed annoyed by his frequent visits.
"I came to check if the medicine is working. Depending on how it's doing, I'll prepare some more," he said. When Griffin didn't react aggressively, Vulren cautiously moved closer to examine the cracks in the creature's skin. "Would it be okay if I touched you? I need to check the condition of your skin," he said. Griffin responded with a displeased hiss. Not wanting to push his luck, Vulren quickly took a few steps back.
"You need a bit more antidote. I'll come back later," he said before leaving. "Maybe I should ask Griffin for a rhino sometime," he thought as he arrived home. It was already noon, and it was time to open the restaurant. He left his bag at home, grabbed the keys, and headed to the restaurant. As he entered the street where the restaurant was located, he was surprised to see two elderly men standing in front of the building.
When he got closer, they noticed him and asked, "Where have you been these past few days?" Vulren replied, "I was sick, Mister. I couldn't open the restaurant," before unlocking the door and stepping inside. After taking the two men's orders, he got to work, relieved that his arm had fully healed. Customers kept asking why the restaurant had been closed, and he gave them all the same answer.
He was initially happy that so many people were concerned about him, but his joy faded when he realized they were mostly worried about his food. After a busy day of cooking, closing time approached, and there was still no sign of Kavrala. Just as he was about to give up hope, he felt a familiar magical presence outside the restaurant. The golden-haired girl entered with an angry expression, walked up to the counter without a word, and ordered honey-glazed chicken.
Vulren handed her the food and then prepared his own meal—a massive fish—before sitting across from her. Kavrala seemed much calmer now and a few minutes later she broke the awkward silence, ”I'm sorry about yesterday. I was just really worried when I couldn't get in touch with you, and seeing you with that girl while I was going crazy made me lose my temper," she said.
Vulren swallowed the bite in his mouth and said, "It's okay. I guess I shouldn’t have hidden my address from you. But remember, if we’re seen together, we’ll both be in trouble." He took another big bite from the fish in front of him. They continued eating in silence for a while before Vulren spoke again, "I owe you an explanation. Long story short, I was out for a walk at night and saw that girl in trouble. I saved her, and then I was helping her find a safe place to stay. That’s it. Oh, and I broke my arm in the forest, so I couldn’t open the restaurant.”
His explanation was still lacking, but Kavrala was aware that he wasn’t the type to share much about himself. So she didn’t press him further. After finishing their meals, they stepped outside, and Vulren locked up the restaurant before they parted ways. Kavrala felt a bit relieved knowing Vulren didn’t hate her. At least she could rest her head on the pillow without worry now.
Vulren, on the other hand, hurried home. He needed to prepare more antidote for Griffin, and he was out of Titantula venom. He had to collect more venom before the sun set and the spiders became active. After quickly gathering the necessary supplies at home, he set off for the forest again. He carefully entered the cave, the corpse of the spider he had killed last time was gone. But that was normal since Titantulas were cannibals.
He set up the same trap as before, using better materials this time, and slipped through the small crack in the cave's wall. As he moved deeper into the narrow tunnel leading to the Titantula nest, the spiderwebs grew thicker. When he extended his magic senses to the end of the tunnel, he felt the disgusting presence of the gathered spiders. He waited for one to separate from the others, but none moved.
Time was running out, and the spiders would soon wake up. They were much faster than he had anticipated, and last time he had barely escaped with the help of an energy potion. In this narrow tunnel, even the slightest stumble could be fatal. As he weighed all possible scenarios, he realized how unlikely it was for any of them to work in his favor. His courage wavered; a single scratch from these spiders would kill him instantly.
As he retreated from the tunnel, he thought of Kavrala. Her earth magic could slow the spider down, and a binding rune could trap it. This was the most logical plan he could come up with. While thinking through the details, he headed home. After moving quickly through the forest, he reached the village walls, which now felt like the gateway to his home. He jumped over them as usual and made his way through the wheat and corn fields to his house.
Once home, he took a deep breath and began writing a health report for the Griffin in his notebook, and adding a fictional one for the fictional Inaric, just in case. He decided to turn in early, knowing the next day would be long and exhausting. The next morning, he woke up feeling a bit anxious, gathered the supplies he always took to the forest, and left the house.
They were supposed to meet near a rock not too deep in the forest. When he arrived, he saw Kavrala waiting for him. He greeted her and began explaining the plan for the day. "Today, we’re hunting a Titantula. Here’s the plan: I’ll lure one out of the nest, and you’ll slow it down with small earth spells so it doesn’t catch me. I’ll lead it into a binding rune we’ll set up in the cave, and you’ll activate the trap. That’s how we’ll catch it."
As they walked toward the cave, Vulren explained what to do if the plan failed. When they reached the cave, which radiated a strong magic power, Kavrala remembered the first time she had met Vulren. She drew a few explosive magic runes at the cave’s entrance and a larger binding rune in the open area filled with crystals inside.
While drawing the runes, Vulren pointed out her mistakes and helped her correct them. It always amazed her how knowledgeable he was about magic, even though he couldn’t cast spells or activate runes himself. After setting up the runes, it was Vulren’s turn to lure the spider into the trap. Before entering through the narrow crack in the wall, Kavrala decided to ask him something.
"Since school’s ending this week, we can increase our training days until the summer festival if you’re free." Vulren smiled and said, "Of course. I’ve prepared a lot of mana potions for training. Just know, my training is tough—no crying later." He then slipped through the crack. As he moved through the narrow tunnel, he cleared the spiderwebs so they wouldn’t hinder him while running.
The closer he got to the disgusting presence of the spiders, the more nervous he became. He waited at the same spot as last time for a spider to emerge. After about half an hour, he saw a black silhouette leaving the nest. This spider was much larger than the last one, which unnerved Vulren. It was as tall as him, cleaning its legs with its saliva. Gathering his courage, Vulren threw a stone at the spider’s head and started running without looking back.
He could feel the spider’s heavy steps on the cave floor. This one was much faster, and it was only a matter of time before it caught up. Just as the spider closed the gap and prepared to jump at him, a few small stones hit its head at high speed, forcing it to slow down. Kavrala’s earth spells were working—they didn’t hurt the creature but slowed it down.
Reaching the end of the tunnel, Vulren jumped forward with all his strength. Seeing him jump, the spider leaped too, but Kavrala activated the binding trap before it could catch Vulren. Yellow magical ropes instantly bound the spider’s legs. The creature started to thrash wildly, straining against the ropes. It wouldn’t be long before it broke free.
Without hesitation, Vulren drew his hunting knife and jumped onto the spider’s back. The spider tried to throw him off, slamming itself against the cave walls. If this continued, it would wake the others, endangering not only Vulren but Kavrala as well. Taking a deep breath, Vulren focused on the soft spot at the back of the spider’s head. With a quick strike, he drove the knife into it.
He forced the blade in a few more times until the creature collapsed, twitching. Kavrala, who had been watching in fear from the corner of the cave, approached cautiously. "Is it dead?" she asked. Covered in blood, Vulren simply nodded, not wanting to risk the spider’s foul blood getting in his mouth. After Kavrala cleaned him up with a water spell, he began dismembering the creature.
The sight made Kavrala sick, so she decided to wait outside. Half an hour later, Vulren returned with a jar containing a large green organ. He was covered in blood again and, with his arms spread wide, joked, "Where’s my victory hug?" as he walked toward Kavrala. She started to run and scream mixed with laugh, and then she sprayed him with a water spell.
After changing into spare clothes, Vulren handed her the lunchbox he had brought. As he ate, Vulren kept his eyes on his steak and asked, "Can I ask you for a favor?" Normally, Vulren never asked her for anything, so she was pleasantly surprised. "If it’s something I can do, I’m always ready to help," she replied.
Vulren continued, "You know that girl I told you about? The one I saved from her father. Do you think you could find her a job, if possible?" Kavrala couldn’t help but feel a spark of jealousy at how much Vulren seemed to care for this girl. Would he worry this much about her? After a few seconds of thought, she said, "I think my father’s office is short on servants. I’ll ask him and let you know."
Vulren smiled and thanked her, then packed the empty lunch containers and the jar into his bag. They spent a few hours training near the giant tree where Vulren usually practiced before parting ways. Vulren was glad he had found a decent job for Syl and headed home in high spirits. He still had one more bottle of Titantula antidote to brew.